Trends in jobseeker enquiries over the past 3 months

Through this article we aim to explore trends in jobseeker enquiries over the past 3 months.

The TrustedCare Contact Centre takes and manages recruitment enquiries for a number of leading care providers. For this article we have used jobseeker data from Aug 23 - Oct 23, for 3 residential care providers & 1 national home care provider.

During this time period we have handled over 5,000 jobseeker enquiries.

Key takeaways:

• 67% of jobseeker enquiries are through digital channels
• 20% of all jobseeker enquiries happen on a Tuesday
• 10am-12pm = most likely time to receive a new jobseeker enquiry
• 80% of jobseekers are suitable for interview

How are jobseekers getting in touch?

Nearly 50% of jobseekers are choosing to submit an online enquiry form, (through the provider’s website or a jobs-board website), as their preliminary means of applying for a job.

A third of jobseekers are choosing to call care providers to register their interest for work.

Just under 20% of jobseekers are choosing to contact providers via Live-Chat as their initial contact method. Of the data analysed, 3 of the 4 providers are using Live-Chat on their website. Meaning if this channel was utilised by more providers the number of jobseekers who get in touch via this channel could be higher. The benefit of a manned Live-Chat over an online enquiry form is that the enquiry can be fully qualified via this channel.

When are jobseekers getting in touch?

Jobseeker enquiries by day:

Contrary to popular belief, jobseeker enquiries peak on a Tuesday! Enquiries on a Monday & Wednesday are equal at 18%, with a noticeable downward trend in jobseeker enquiry volumes from Tuesday onwards. Only 13% of all jobseeker enquiries take place at the weekend.

The data shows that over 80% of jobseeker enquiries happen between 9am-4pm. This is a slightly surprising statistic given that the majority of applications are made via an online form submission. If the majority of applications were made via telephone you would expect to see this as the jobseeker would want to call during the Administrator/Manager’s working hours.

The data also shows that jobseekers are most likely to call between the hours of 10am-12pm. With a steady downward trend in jobseeker enquiries as we move past Midday.

This follows a similar pattern to care enquiries which tend to peak between 10am and 11am.

The primary aim of TrustedCare’s contact centre is to ascertain candidate suitability and put them forward for interview where appropriate. Within business hours, candidates that contact via online enquiry form are called within 1 hour of their application. Candidates that contact via Live-Chat and telephone are obviously qualified there and then.

Through this approach we are able to qualify 99% of jobseeker enquiries & determine that 80% of applicants are suitable for an interview.

As a general rule, our clients require that jobseekers are within a 1-hour commute of their location and/or not required to take more than 3 forms of public transport to get to work. On this basis, 11% of all candidates are turned down based on unsuitable location. Our clients have developed this rule regarding commute times as their experience tells them that people who have to travel more than an hour for work or take multiple forms of public transport do not stay in post. With this in mind, it’s important that this deciding factor is made clear on any job advertising websites/job descriptions.

The second biggest reason that jobseekers are turned down is because they are applying from overseas or are looking for sponsorship. The providers whose data we are discussing do not consider job applicants who require sponsorship. Again, this information needs to be made clear in any job descriptions/job posts.

A small proportion of candidates are turned down because the providers we handle enquiries on behalf of require candidates to commit to a minimum number of hours per week. An equally small number of candidates were turned down because their attitude was deemed unsuitable for working in care or they didn’t have the required qualifications for the post they were applying for.

For further insights or to discuss support with qualified jobseeker enquiries, please contact hello@trustedcare.co.uk.